Schaefer lauded as top female CEO

Gina Schaefer, CEO of nine-store, D.C.-area Ace chain A Few Cool Hardware Stores, was recognized recently as a top female CEO during the SmartCEO Brava! Awards.

Schaefer was among 32 women (of 200 applicants) recognized by Washington SmartCEO Media during the July 30 ceremony.

Schaefer has been at the helm of the Ace chain since opening her first hardware store in 2003. Today, she sits on the Ace Hardware Corporate Board and is the board president for Think Local First D.C., a board vice chair for House of Ruth and a member of the Advisory Board for Jubilee Jobs.

The Brava! Awards celebrate the top women in business throughout the Washington metro area and are profiled in SmartCEO magazine.

This year's winners generate moe than $254.6 million in annual revenue and collectively oversee over 1,111 employees.